Baxter - Houston-Packer Collection BT70 .B397 1675

Ofgod'sgracious Operations on Maris Soul: withRegenerating, San5ti1yingHabits to be given. And I fee no reafon to be fingular herein. p.3. That faith is by theLaw ofGrace, made a condition of this sandi_ ftcation, and the spirit promifed us [ ifwe will believe,] and fo t!e Spi- rit given to us by Covenant in Baptifinwhen we believe, is plain in Scri- pture, and the commoneft doetrine of allDivines. p. 4. Therefore if it bé this spirit of sanctification that is meant by the New, the Tender, the circumcifedheart, it is not promifed and given abfolutely, but on condition offaith. p. 5. Let us perufe the feveral Texts where it is promifed. Dent. 3o. a, 2, 3i 6. [when thou ¡bolt call to mind among all the Nations and ¡halt return unto the Lardthy God and obey his voice, according to all that I command thee this day thou and thy children, with all thy heart and a/I thy foul; that then the Lord thy God will turn thy cap- tivity And the Lord thy God will circumcife thy heart and the heart of thy feed to Love the Lord thyGod with all thy heart and with all thy foul , that thou maifi live.] Here it is aGrace confequent to a condition, even toMuch obedience; which is defcribed. And Deut. to. a6. it is a command [ Circumeife. theforeskin of your hearts, and be no more fiiff-necked. ] Jer. 32.36, 37, &c. [I will gather them out of all Countreys whither I have driven them and will bring them again into this place, and Iwill eaeefe them to. dwell fafely ; and they ¡hall be my people, and 1 will be their God, and I will give them one heart, andone way, that they may fear mefar ever.] So Ezek. t t. 16, t7, 18,19, zoo And Ezek. 36. a5, 26, 27, 28, 29. In all which, there is a promiflory Pro- phecy, how great a deliverance God would give the Nation of the fewr; both for body and foul ; And their temporal return and liberty is pro- mifed and prophefied in the fame manner as a new heart is. But here is not a fyllable to prove that this is the grfi fpecial Grace ; any more than perfeverance is, which in the fame manner is promifed inJer. 32.40. [ I will put myfear in their hearts, and they Mall not depart.] To fay nothing how far in the firft fenfe this was National to the few:, nor how the performance did expound it , ( For doubtlefs it is performed, ) the Text it felf premifeth [1will be their God, and they¡hall be my peo- ple] with other mercies. And no doubt but Faith and Repentancegobe- fore this Covenant-Relation to God ; and therefore before the following gift of the spirit, ver. 9. andCh. 11. 19. And Ezek. 18.3 x. the fame is commanded, [Call awayfrom youall your tranfgrefsions wherebyye have trangrefJed, and makeyou anew heart, and a new rpirit .] O. 6. The promiffory Prophecy of fer. 31.3x, ¿re. is recited by the Penman ofHeb. 8.8, Vic. toprove the ceffation of the old fewifh cove- nant, and that a better fhould fucceed. And this much is eafily proved out of both, a. That Godwould certainly have a holy people among the returning Ifraelites , 2. And efpecially that he would have fuch in the chriftian church, as fhould be fanetified to him by his Spirit , and have a new and tender heart. And Predeftination is well proved from the Text. But there is not aword to prove this to be the foil Grace , nor that Gods promife gave any man right to it, but upon conditionofbeliev- ing. For ifGods Decree, Prophecy,or general Promife faying abfolutely [ I will do it] did prove it to be the firfi Grace, it would proveperfe- rance fuch; which is falfe. The words prove no more but that God will do it. 7+ 0.

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